Growing Pains
by 21 hundred hours
Summary: Yami to Boushi to Hon no Tabibito Yamibou This is what happens after the series, assuming that the theory floating around about virgin birth happens.
1. Prologue: Birth & Ch1 4th Year, Life 2

**Growing Pains**

...

_She didn't cry at all._

Prologue: Hatsumi's birth; Life 2

I had always known this day was coming, as the years went by I could feel the energy slowly growing within my body. She was in there. When I was younger and the thoughts first began to surface, I had my doubts. I thought perhaps it was all been a dream and yet it was one that clung to the surface of my mind and refused to be forgotten. Ririsu, that stupid bird and Eve… Hatsumi.

The memories had slowly trickled back throughout the years as though the ice encasing them were gradually melting and returning rivulets of forgotten moments to me… Youko, Kuiru, Miruka, Princess Fuji, everyone… I know now the reason why I had always known that I would have a child and what her name would be. It would not be Eve, Jiru, Lular or Fuji… it was going to be Hatsumi. It would be Hatsumi's way of returning and coming home to me, our second chance. So while I waited, I threw myself into school, into work, into everything so that time would pass faster. Pass it did but then I began noticing that even as life went by my body seemed frozen in the image of youthfulness. Of course, it was just like what had happened to those other two that had been bathed in Eve's souma.

Now I am lying here on the thinly carpeted floor of that same empty room I had found myself waking up upon forty eight years ago. This is… Hatsumi's old room, I knew it to be that from those old memories of a life that didn't happen. This house was only a husk now without her in it to make it warm but I couldn't bear selling it even if I rarely ever stayed. Make up was no longer being a very effective way to hide the fact that even though I was supposed to be sixty four, I looked no older than twenty-six at most so it became important that I was never anywhere long enough to be recognized anymore. However, I had recently met with a useful man by the name of 'Smith' who seemed willing to help me with some documents with minimal questions. I'm hoping that this will allow me to settle down again for at least sometime.

Pain hit hard and fast and even as I grappled for something to hold onto my hands found nothing but air and dusty carpet. A green glow just like the one from so long ago began filling the room, emanating from my womb. Before too long it began fading, leaving me in an agonized heap and the room suddenly seemed eerily quiet but for my laboured breathing. I suppose that I had expected more lights and dazzle and less pain through this ordeal, it was not as though I had the luxury of pain medication as one would have had in normal circumstances. The pain receded and after a few moments to catch my breath I managed to sit up. Lying on my jacket which I had laid down in the corner earlier was a small, delicate infant with soft blonde fuzz and crimson eyes.

…

"_Ne, Oba-chan?_ _What does 'Hatsumi' mean?"_

"_It means beautiful firstborn."_

"…_and Hazuki?"_

Chapter 1: Hatsumi's 4th year; Life 2

Even though Hazuki had told herself over and over again that she shouldn't, she would almost always give in to her own weakness in the end. She watched the little girl in the garden as she played by herself, her caretaker nowhere in sight. She was busily throwing a small green ball around in a carefree manner, tossing it in the air and giggling to herself as she generally failed to catch it and it softly bopped her on the head. Azuma Hatsumi, age: four years old.

The little child soon spotted the tall woman by the fence and raced clumsily over, her ball forgotten on the grass.

She had imagined, when it all began, that all she would have to do was leave Hatsumi to be raised by the stranger she had hired. She wasn't aging any and so there was no reason Hazuki couldn't wait for the other girl to grow up enough so that they could be together again but that had turned out impossible. In reality she hadn't been able to keep away at all and in reality it was apparent that this Hatsumi was different.

Hazuki knew she had been foolish to think that it would just be Hatsumi as she had known her, in a childish body. This Hatsumi loved her Auntie 'Mura who had raised her, this Hatsumi loved her magical girls cartoons and another thing was… this Hatsumi could speak.

"Hazuki!" The young voice chirped exuberantly.

In one of the earliest of very few meetings the two of them had had, 'Hazuki' was what the little girl had been instructed to call her benefactor at all times. The reason for this was that while the dark haired woman may have brought her into this world the last thing she wanted to be thought of as was Hatsumi's mother. Nor could she ever be Hazuki-sama or Hazuki onee-sama. Hatsumi was the dear love she lost and wanted back and none of those titles were right. She had legally adopted Hatsumi, stating that she was a child she had found abandoned on her doorstep. The baby had cried unendingly every time she had been separated from Hazuki. She had cried until she got sick and eventually the child welfare agencies that had initially resisted, had no choice but to place the infant in her care. Still, she was no parent.

"How are you, Hatsumi? Where is Shimura-san?"

As always the best excuse she could come up for her being there was to give a couple of additional instructions to Hatsumi's caretaker. She knew it was a feeble reason at best because what could not be conveyed by telephone or electronic mail these days?

"Oh…" The little girl sounded disappointed. The older woman never seemed to pay anymore than a few seconds attention to her. "I'm alright. Auntie 'Mura is around the back, tending the vegetables."

Hazuki nodded and strode to the back garden, not giving a backwards glance at the child. It was enough, that small moment had been enough to tide her over until the next time she could not bear being away from the one who held her heart.

…

Chapter One notes: 

After getting the occasional email and rereading some of the review of this fic, I decided that I would try and finish it. I've gone through this chapter and made some adjustments though.

Hazuki(葉月) in fact means the leaf month, referring to August in case anyone is interested since the question isn't answered.


	2. Hatsumi's 12th Year Life 2

"_Oba-chan?"_

"_Hm?"_

"_Do you think she hates me?"_

Chapter 2: Hatsumi's 12th year; Life 2

A twelve year old Hatsumi stared out the open window of her room. There was a soft breeze that caused the curtains to billow in and out gently but the teenager paid that very little attention. Her thoughts were on Hazuki, the mysterious woman who would simply appear out of the blue to visit and then disappear just as suddenly. The older woman had never spoken more than just a few words to blonde girl but Hatsumi could always feel the intensity behind the seemingly cold blue eyes that bore into her own when Hazuki said anything to her. Hatsumi shivered in remembrance of several such occasions.

Azuma Hazuki was a puzzle to her. Shimura had told her they story of how Hazuki had found her, adopted her and then placed her in the kind older woman's care but somehow she knew there was something not quite right about all of it. Why would Hazuki do such a thing? Something like taking in a child but not try and raise or even seem to care about her? More important than that, why was it that while she loved Shimura who had looked after her all this time did she feel so much stronger a feeling towards a woman she hardly knew beyond the fact that she paid for her upbringing?

Hatsumi furrowed her brow in thought, something that made her high forehead even more prominent than usual. The serious air of melancholy around her dark-haired benefactor never changed, she was always sad. For as long as she could remember Hazuki had been like that. Actually for as long as she remembered, Hazuki had always been the same… She had noticed it as she was growing up how with each birthday, she grew taller and her body changed but for Hazuki, that had stopped. It wasn't a case of her being an adult and not growing. It was that she never aged at all. The real surprise though, was that it didn't really even surprise her. Something in her had accepted it as how things were supposed to be.

Footsteps coming from below disturbed her from her reverie and looking down through the window, she was startled to see the very subject of her thoughts making her way up to the front of the house. Hatsumi quickly scrambled from the window seat and straightened herself up before practically hurtling down the stairs so that she could reach the door before the kindly Shimura, who despite her age was still surprisingly quick. She knew that if she didn't then Hazuki would most likely not even greet her before holing herself up in the study with the old caretaker.

She didn't even wait for the knock on the door before she flung it open and came face to face with a rather surprised Hazuki who had her hand raised with the intention of knocking.

"Hatsumi… you are quick."

The young blonde nodded and smiled brightly up at the taller woman. "I saw you coming from the window. I think Aunt 'Mura has just stepped out for a moment, she should be back soon."

She stepped aside so that Hazuki could enter the house and pulled out a new pair of house slippers from the shoe cabinet for their guest. Her heart was thumping against her chest like crazy and Hatsumi had to take in a quick breath to calm herself down again.

"Why don't we go into the living room to wait? I-I'll bring in some tea." At Hazuki's curt nod, she hurriedly scurried ahead to the living room. Making sure the tall woman was seated and fairly comfortable, Hatsumi went into the kitchen to make the tea. This left Hazuki to her thoughts.

Hazuki had in the beginning optimistically thought they could resume life as it had been before the whole Eve-debacle once Hatsumi caught up in age. However as Hatsumi grew closer and closer to her sixteenth birthday as each year passed, so grew the dark haired woman's fear with it. What if, despite the fact that Hatsumi seemed to have no recollection of being Eve and the difference that she could speak this time around, in the end she still vanished in a flash of green light? Even worse, without Ken-chan or Ririsu she would not be able to follow the girl she loved. It was doubtful that they would appear if the reborn girl vanished once more.

The sound of the kettle being filled, cabinets being opened and the tinkling of teacups coming from the kitchen as the young girl bustled about preparing the tea broke into interrupted the unhappy thoughts. To Hazuki it sometimes seemed that time passed all too quickly and yet there were times that it seemed to flow excruciatingly slowly. Even as she sat there waiting for tea to be served, the twelve year-old was getting closer and closer to how she remembered Hatsumi before. The then older girl had never been very tall and this Hatsumi was just lacking in those final couple of inches before catching up with her former self. Even her mannerisms had changed much since the last time she had visited. The child Hatsumi was, Hazuki realized, was growing into a woman.

xx

"Yaa… She's done it again!" A peeved Ririsu whined loudly to the musty book filled stacks of the great library. Indeed, apart from an overweight yellow canary with a Kansai accent, she was the only living being in the library.

"Ooh, that Eve has done it this time! She promised that she wouldn't leave me behind alone again! Idiot big forehead endowed girl!" Ririsu knew exactly which series of book contained worlds to check first for her wayward little sister.

"No, no, no… Oh, Hazuki in a swimsuit… oops, I guess I shouldn't be getting sidetracked… although I still think she'd look better in a two-piece…"

Ririsu continued to search through the series until she came across one that she thought could be it.

"Hmph when I get my hands on you then you're toast, you brat! Ken-chan! I'm leaving things here up to you, okay? Don't mess up!"

"Ririsu, wait! You ca—" Before the chubby bird could finish protesting, Ririsu was gone in a burst of sparkles.

"Dammit."

…

Chapter Two Notes:

(May '07) Not too many changes made to this chapter. I wondered about changing the names like "Ririsu" to "Lilith" in this revision but decided to just stick with what I started with.


	3. Hatsumi’s 15th year Life 2 Part 1

"_Who are you? Why are you here?"  
_

Chapter 3: Hatsumi's 15th year; Life 2 (Part 1)

"Aha!" Ririsu thought as she spotted Eve at last. She had definitely sensed that odeko's energy from this place. Her sister was just walking through the school gates with a girl who looked about the same age, a classmate perhaps. The two of them were chatting rather animatedly as they made their way up to the building… wait, what? Eve had never spoken when she went to play in other worlds previously. Just what was going on here? For a moment, Ririsu thought she had made a mistake and that was not Eve at all but the aura and giant forehead were unmistakable. There was more to this than Eve playing around and hopping worlds this time. Of this, Ririsu was sure. Settling herself out of sight inside a couple of bushes, she was going to wait. Wait for her good for nothing sister to get back out here and receive what was coming to her! As she waited though, it felt as if each minute of the large school clock displayed took an hour to pass. Ririsu could not believe a school day was this excruciatingly long. Eventually despite the leaves in her face and the twigs digging into her side, she somehow dozed off.

The next sound she heard was the crunching sound of car tires braking on asphalt nearby. It had woken her up and to her surprise, who was in that car but the girl of her dreams, Hazuki, the girl she had likened to Yami Yama. A catlike grin settled upon her face as she stalked up to the car, being careful to stay out of sight.

In the meanwhile, the woman in the car had sunk fairly low in her seat and even though parked under the shade, had kept her sun glasses on.

"Ha-zu-ki."

The dark haired woman started at the face pressed against the glass of her car window with a catlike expression on her face. Ririsu rapped her knuckles against the glass and pointed to the lock, obviously wanting to be let into the vehicle. Throwing the door open and sending the short blonde sprawling in the process, she couldn't believe her eyes even as she took in the sight of the girl who was now rubbing her rear and looking at her ruefully.

"Ririsu!"

Hazuki's mind was filled with thoughts and questions. It was very possible that the other girl was there to take Hatsumi away from her and back to the Great Library. Since Ririsu had appeared here, it meant she had found Hatsumi, right? It was too much of a coincidence if she hadn't. How far would she go to take her sister back and what could Hazuki do to stop her? She wasn't sure how to handle the situation, it had been over sixty years since she had last seen the guardian of the Great Library.

As though sensing Hazuki's uncertainty, Ririsu sidled up to the tall girl suggestively.

"Haven't you missed me? I know I've missed you."

Her back was pressing into the brake handle and her sunglasses were sliding down the bridge of her nose but Hazuki was none the less still trying to get away from bold girl's advances. Even after all these years, Ririsu had not changed at all. In both appearance and personality she seemed exactly the same.

In the past, Hazuki had coldly brushed her off all her advances in her single minded focus in finding Hatsumi but now she found herself flustered. It had been so long since had been around someone she didn't have to pretend that she wasn't nearing eighty years old and simply looked like she was in her late twenties. In a sense, the girl clinging to her now was the person who knew her best in the world because Hatsumi as she was now no longer did.

"I... Why are you here, Ririsu?"

"It's Eve! She ran off without me again. Wasn't that mean of her Hazuki? She's always leaving me behind."

Hazuki was faced with the familiar watery eyed expression and puffed up cheeks that she had seen so many times before in her travels with the strange librarian. It was the furthest thing from a threatening expression as you can get but the words Ririsu had spoken plunged a cold spike through her heart. She was there for Hatsumi after all!

Schooling her face to a determined expression, she took hold of Ririsu's shoulders and held her back at arms length before stating firmly, "You are not taking Hatsumi anywhere. I won't let you."

"Bun bun!" Ririsu made her displeasure known with her usual noise, "You always take her side! I didn't say I'd take her anywhere, I _said_ she left me behind. Again! Hazuki is a meanie and I came all this way too. You could at least be a little happy to see me."

Well, her plan has been to retrieve Eve and head back to the library but definitely not until she'd had her fun. Besides that, she didn't know if she could force Eve to go if she wasn't willing. The big forehead was pretty powerful in her own right. There was the whole talking thing too, there were too many unknown factors. Ririsu wasn't as dumb as she tended to act and she knew she'd have to get some more information before she could do anything. Getting to spend some time with Hazuki was just a bonus. She could see her words had had the desired effect since tall, dark and beautiful was now sporting something akin to an expression of guilt. This made it the perfect time to pounce.

"Hazuki..." Slender fingers made circles on the on the other girl's chest as Ririsu once more positioned herself too close for Hazuki's comfort. "I have a favour to ask you..."

xx

The door to Hazuki's modestly sized flat opened and the two of them entered with Ririsu charging ahead to examine the living space.

"Oh, just one room!" She exclaimed excitedly.

Hazuki who had just made her way in from the entrance strode easily across the living room to pull the door to her bedroom closed.

"You can sleep on the couch." She said plainly yet firmly.

"Bun bun!"

* * *

Ch.3 note: Although Ririsu jumps into the book at the end of chapter two it is not a mistake that she appears in the story at Hatsumi's 15th year. It's my belief she can jump into any time of any world simply by choosing the corresponding page/book. Therefore it is possible for Ririsu to start looking for Eve as soon as she disappears but appear in Hazuki's world now. It would do her no good to find Eve and bring her back to the library as a baby anyhow. ;)


End file.
